Illinois Lt. Col. Juliana Stratton gained support from Sen. Tammy Duckworth, primary, to take over the retired Sen. Dick Durbin.
Stratton launched her campaign last week after the 80-year-old Durbin, who was first elected to the Senate in 1996, announced that she would not seek reelection in 2026. It was approved last week Illinois Governor JB Pretzker.
“Not only has Juliana proven to be an experienced and effective lieutenant governor, she has shown over and over that she understands and cares people who work there over and over,” said Duckworth, who represented Illinois. Politics.
“I am honored to be with her in the Senate as we work to bring real results for the Illinois and I am proud to support her campaign,” she added.
Dick Durbin, no. 2 Senate Democrats don’t seek re-election
Illinois Lt. Col. Juliana Stratton talks about the impact of President Donald Trump’s order to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans at a press conference on January 28th. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service Getty Images)
To her Campaign launch video, “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are trying to make you feel so confused that you don’t know where to start. But in Washington they’re still doing the same old things they’ve always done, and that old playbook isn’t working.”
Stratton described herself as a daughter of a teacher and a navy veteran on the south side of Chicago and a mother of four.
She told Politico that she was “respected” for her support of Duckworth, saying, “Tamy is a true leader in Illinois and will not step back from the challenge.”
Durbin says older lawmakers should consider before they leave politics, before they are implemented.
Senator Richard Durbin, D-Ill. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, Getty Images)
The outlet also reported that Stratton had previously appeared with Duckworth to support the Asian American community during the month of Asian American and Indigenous Hawaii/Pacific Islands Heritage.
Last Wednesday, Durbin said “decision about whether to run for reelection or not is not easy.”
“I really love the job of being a US Senator, but in my mind I know it’s time to hand over the torch, so today I am announcing that I will not seek reelection at the end of my term,” he added.
Illinois Lt. Colonel Juliana Stratton and Sen. Tammy Duckworth will greet each other at Manny’s deli in Chicago on June 28, 2022. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
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Durbin has become a fourth Democrat in the Senate, with his term rising at the end of next year, joining New Hampshire’s Jeanne Shaheen, Michigan’s Gary Peters and Minnesota’s Tina Smith in search of re-election in the middle of 2026.
Michael Dorgan and Paul Steinhauser of Fox News contributed to this report.
